


Have We Met?

by Imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: AU, M/M, Vampires, Werewolves, first meets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-07 01:11:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15897864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch/pseuds/Imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch
Summary: Collection of first meets between Will and Nico in various alternate universe settings.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Monster AU

Nico fell back into bed, bruised, exhausted. Every change was difficult and he was really beginning to dread full moon. Maybe being a werewolf was easier in the country where there was space to run but there was only so much you could do in the city. It was getting harder and harder to convince his neighbours that there was probably just a large dog on the loose. One of these days one of them was going to call animal control and then what was he going to do if they caught him?

And then there was Will Solace who lived in the apartment under him.  Though Will nodded along with the other tenants whenever Nico reinforced the idea it was just a dog in those impromptu corridor conversations he hated being dragged into, Nico was pretty sure Will wasn't too convinced on that. Will was reclusive and a little bit shifty and when Nico snuck out on full moon nights Will always seemed to be around.

Will Solace was onto him. He was sure of it.

There was a reason Nico moved around so much. There was always someone who worked it out. _Why not just move to the country Nico?_ Hazel asked him that a lot. She was presumably running about in the fresh air, howling at the moon that wasn't pale and pasty behind light pollution and chasing local cats with merry glee. Hazel was a country kind of girl. Nico was not. His memories of the country were hunters killing Bianca.

And okay there were hunters in the city too, but it was much easier to disappear when the pitchforks and silver bullets started closing in when you lived among millions of other people.

The night after full moon, he and Will Solace happened to be struggling up the stairs with groceries at the same unsociable hour. Nico's body clock was still out of sync after spending the entire night before as a wolf, and he was ravenous after the change. Late night shopping made sense for him. Will didn't have the same excuse. Nico would know if he did.

Will kept away from Nico on the stairs, seeming wary. Though he attempted to make small talk, he was obviously relieved when he got to his door. Nico continued on up, trying to act like he hadn't noticed. While his several course meal of steak and chips, pasta and garlic bread cooked, he opened up the newspaper and a carton of ice cream (changing really did use up a lot of calories) and began circling potential new homes.

Finding a new place took so long these days, and he was still in his old apartment next full moon. Determined not to make the change anywhere near the apartment, Nico left as soon as dusk fell, heading for the park. Will was hanging around yet again, looking pale and distant. Nico gave him a smile which was returned, if a little startledly.

It was a bad night. Someone spotted him in the park and he spent a long time dodging helpful, if clueless, strangers who wanted to reunite the "cute little doggy" (not true on any part) with its owners. He was relieved when morning came and he could slope back to his apartment, dirty and exhausted. The sun was nearly up as he approached his apartment. Will stood outside, searching in a panic for his keys. He glanced up at the horizon, then spotted Nico.

"I lost my keys," he said a little helplessly.

Nico had his. He unlocked the door and Will shot inside so quickly he was practically a blur. He got up the stairs far more quickly than Nico had, but waited outside his own door.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

Nico wasn't sure how Will was intending to get into his apartment without keys but it wasn't his problem. Will didn't look as concerned as he could have either, which made his behaviour outside all the stranger.

The next morning, while the sun was blazing high Nico got a craving for doughnuts. As he got back he noticed all Will's curtains were firmly shut. And maybe Will just worked nights. Or maybe he _had_ to work nights.

The next night he tested his theory. And maybe it was a little cruel to buy five whole bulbs of garlic but the way Will flinched back from Nico confirmed what he'd guessed.

"You're a vampire," Nico said.

Will had banged back into his front door when Nico had walked past with a shopping bag full of garlic. At his words, Will shrunk back either further, seeming small. Then he seemed to accept his fate, whatever it may be and he looked Nico dead in the eye.

"What are you going to do about it?"

Maybe it was the hypnotism thing vampires were supposed to be able to do but he suddenly noticed, Will's eyes were really blue.

"I thought you were a hunter at first," Will said when Nico didn't answer.

"I knew you were a vampire from the beginning," Nico lied.

"Liar."

Will was grinning. He was still shrunk back as far away from the garlic as he could, but he did stand taller now. He was a _lot_ taller than Nico and though his natural tan was deadened by an unnatural pallor, it just made his freckles stand out more. He didn't look particularly threatening, in fact he looked like a dork.

Nico didn't have many supernatural friends.

"Want to come up for dinner?" Nico asked. "I'll throw out the garlic."

"I only drink O negative."

Nico blinked and then Will laughed.

"I'm kidding. But I do take my steaks rare."

"I'll bear that in mind."


	2. Dog Sitting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dog Sitting (and losing) first meet.

Nico wasn't really a dog person. Like at all. Sure on the rare occasion when he went round to his father's he might give the dog a vague pat on the head. He wasn't sure how that translated into his father and step-mother thinking he'd be a viable candidate for dog sitting while they went off for some winter sun on some island somewhere.

Whatever it was that had them thinking that was wrong. Day One and he'd lost the dog.

He wasn't a complete moron. When Cerberus had come trotting into the living room, where Nico had been taking advantage of the big TV, lead in mouth, Nico had got the hint. He'd put the lead on, secured it to the collar and walked happily (ish) to the park.

He wasn't a _complete_ moron, but he was something of a moron because somehow the lead had come away for the collar, and somehow he had completely failed to notice until enough time had passed that the immediate vicinity was Cerberus free.

After a minute of frantic calling for the dog Nico had only attracted attention from passers-by and an over confident squirrel. He'd run up and down the path a couple of times and got nothing but a stitch. Finally, he saw a couple of bushes twitching, as though a dog sized animal was hunting around under them. With considerable distaste Nico got down on his knees and pushed some of the branches aside.

"Cerberus?"

Something was rustling up ahead. He pushed more branches aside, crawling into the little hollow. Twigs scratched at him cheeks. Stones dug into his knees.

"Cerberus?" Nico called again, more irritably this time.

Something came towards him, and that something morphed into a large black shape that leapt in a whirlwind of claws. Nico scrambled back as quickly as he could, away from the angry cat that wanted to claw his face off.

He managed to get out of the bush, but that wasn't enough for the cat and it came after him. Nico ran, not caring if it was undignified. At least he managed not to scream.

The cat got bored pretty quickly, and Nico was able to slow into a jog and then quickly into a walk and then finally stopped. He did another quick 360 spin, just in case the dog had appeared while he'd been escaping a mauling, but no such luck.

If he got the dog back, he was never dog-sitting again.

Oh god what if he never got the dog back? His father probably loved Cerberus move than he loved Nico, his step-mother definitely loved Cerberus more than she loved Nico. He could just imagine the phone call telling them he'd lost their pride and joy - he'd be the first person in history to manage to get murdered through a phone line.

Could he buy another dog? A Cerberus lookalike? No, that would never work. Besides it had been less than an hour. Cerberus really couldn't have gotten that far.

Not that far was a very big place.

Did dogs have a homing instinct? Could Cerberus have rushed back to the house? It wasn't far and he wasn't in the park, that was for sure: Nico had walked up and down enough times to be sure of that and for people to be looking at him strangely.

Check back at the house. Then there was always the option to panic.

He heard barking before he saw the dog. As he hurried around the corner he saw Cerberus jumping up at a tall blonde guy who was waiting outside Nico's father's front door.

Tall, blonde guy turned as Nico walked up the path, looked momentarily confused. Cerberus was yipping happily desperate for attention from the stranger and he obligingly scratched the dog's ears. Cerberus wagged his tail and gave his best attempt at a doggy version of purring. Tall, blonde guy laughed, and the sparkle it brought into his eyes was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. It lit up everything.

"He saw me and just ran at me. I walk him sometimes," the stranger explained. "But I thought I better bring him back."

"You walk him?" Nico demanded. "So why am I dog-sitting?"

He blinked, refocused.

"I mean - uh, thanks. I was not looking forward to the whole I've lost your dog phone call."

He got a laugh at that.

"I'm Will," the blonde guy said. "I live just across the road."

He held out his hand. For some reason the idea of shaking Will's hand felt weird, like Nico was performing for a crowd. When he spoke his tongue was thick and he suddenly couldn't remember how he usually spoke, what accent he had.

Get it together Nico.

"Nico," he said. And at least he could remember his own name. "Looking after Cerberus for my father."

Will considered that.

"So you'll be staying a while?" he asked.

"Yeah a week or so," Nico answered. Would Will offer to walk Cerberus for him? Please say Will would offer to walk Cerberus for him. "Why?"

Will gave him a look, like he thought Nico was being stupid. Nico was being stupid. He was missing something, he knew he was.

"No reason," Will said with an enigmatic smile. "See you around Nico."

He paused at the top of the path and looked back.

"Let me know if you lose the dog again. Or need tips on dog walking. Or how to put a collar on."

Will really was grinning now. Nico's cheeks blazed. One way to rescue the situation.

"Yes," Nico said. "On all of that."

Will's smile really was like the sun.


	3. Superhero AU

Nico Di Angelo wasn't sure who had invented the idea that superheroes should wear spandex but he hated them. And, against common sense that anyone in spandex probably shouldn't be taken seriously, it seemed you weren't a _real_ superhero unless you wore costumes that were skin tight. As the need for superheroes grew, the need for superhero costume designers grew. Metroville had Edna Mode. _They_ had a grumpy woman in her late twenties who looked about twelve (not that Nico could talk). She was known only as J and she positively terrified Nico. She positively terrified everyone.

Her workshop was accessed through a laundrette which allowed him to get his laundry done at the same time. You racked up a lot of laundry as a superhero, and a lot of repairs. It kept J in business and in the murderous looking stiletto shoe she favoured, so really you'd think she'd be happier. Instead she just got irritable every time one of her designs was ravaged.

It was common to see other superheroes in the waiting room, reading old newspapers and listening to the dire elevator music while J assessed the damage to her precious suits. Nico was pretty used to the usual crowd an assortment of people who looked kind of drab and normal without their colourful costumes. He was on nodding terms with most of them, but no one ever tried to speak to him: even out of costume heroes were private sort of people.

The new guy wasn't built from the same mould. He looked pretty much exactly how people expected heroes to look: tall, blonde haired and blue eyed with a good bone structure. He made up for his stereotypical good looks by being a complete dork. He wore a t-shirt with a cartoon superhero on, and one of the cuts on his arm was crisscrossed with pink flowery plasters. He saw Nico looking.

"My little sister gave them to me," he said. He paused. "She's fifteen. She's got a strange sense of humour."

A part of Nico's brain that wasn't on board with the rest of his head's cool detachment from the new guys freckles and bright eyes, began calculating how old that might make new-guy and acceptable age gaps.

"I haven't seen you around before," he commented to distract himself from those calculations.

There weren't many teenaged superheroes, not like there were in all the comics and stories and shows that had sprung up following the rise of the heroes. Yet the new guy had to be under twenty. As far as Nico knew there hadn't been any media coverage of anyone new. Perhaps this guy was still trying to keep out of the limelight. The press had caught on to Nico months ago and he had to now put up with a cringey range of action figures, news segments of his exploits, and gossip magazines guessing who he was.

"Oh I only got my powers a few weeks ago," new guy said. "I didn't even know there was an actual costume maker at first."

"You thought we were all really good at sewing?"

"I don't know," the new guy said. "It could be a secondary power all superheroes get?"

Nico laughed. The new guy smiled slowly in response, pleased.

"Leave me alone," he said. "I'm really new to this."

He paused, suddenly seemed self-conscious.

"I was actually wondering if maybe you'd offer a few tips? I kind of don't know what I'm doing."

Something in Nico went a little fluttery. Here was Mr-Superhero-Good-Looks asking him for help. Then something in him rebelled. He didn't work with other people. He wasn't going to fall for another superhero. The disaster with Wonder Water had been bad enough.

"Sorry," he said. He got up quickly.

After he'd left he began to think he was being just a little stupid. J would be mad he walked out without his costume and her diatribe about looking after himself (and more importantly the clothes). And besides Nico had grown up since the Wonder Water thing. He'd learnt his lesson and made the decision not to fall for any hero ever again, but that didn't mean he had to literally run away from everyone he ever met.

Plus, that was his last suit. And J was terrifying.

At the crossroads he turned back the way he'd came. He was lost in thought, a combination of blue and how he was going to explain this to J, when a store window exploded outwards and Nico was blown back in the aftershock. Three guys in masks who couldn't have looked more like villains if they'd tried came crashing onto the pavement. Their bags were overflowing with a combination of electronics and cash grabbed from the register. It was so amateurish Nico was pretty sure the police wouldn't even need the help of a hero to catch the bad guys this time.

But then he was hit over the back of the head. He’d been standing, but crumpled again. He wanted to throw up. Stars were exploding in front of his vision. He rolled cautiously and saw a man standing over him holding a gun. Distant gunfire suggested that the street was being attacked, though to what end Nico didn't know. You couldn't hold a whole street hostage. What even was their plan?

A hero would come soon. A hero would come soon. A hero - was taking their time.

The man with the gun was getting twitchy. His colleagues were shouting instructions, people were cowering, some being herded back into the shop that had just been broken into.

Suddenly the man was thrown sideways and then the new guy was bending over Nico, worry in his blue eyes.

"I heard all the chaos," he said. "Are you okay?"

Nico tried to sit up, but his head felt it was going to split in two and vomit rose in his throat. The new guy's eyes narrowed and he reached out and touched Nico's shoulder. There was a sensation of warmth and then the pain was gone.

"Thanks," Nico said quietly.

New guy made to move off, but Nico caught his arm.

"Metal Man’s here," he said. "And the first thing you need to know about super heroing is you never use your powers in front of a street of people without a mask on."

The new guy blinked, then suddenly grinned.

“Wait does this mean you’ll help me?”

“No,” Nico said.

New guy just grinned seeing right through Nico like he had freaking x-ray vision.

“I’m – “

Nico shook his head, waving his hands, cutting him off.

“Second thing! No names! I’ve changed my mind you clearly need a ton of help.”

New guy’s grin got bigger and Nico had the world knocked out from under him once again. This time he might have minded slightly less.

 


End file.
